A Fiery Gem
by Leonidas Silver
Summary: Spike X Sweetie Belle story, my newest work. Contains magical rubies that may give you headaches, and sapient body-organs. Hope you enjoy it!
1. Friends

Spike strolled down the frost-covered dirt path with Sweetie Belle, his breath misting in the cold, winter air. "What are we doing again?" He asked. "Trying out the gem-finding spell my sister taught me last week," Sweetie Belle informed. "I thought you might want to help me, because you're going to get every last gem we find!" she continued. Spike almost began to drool at the thought of it. Soon they arrived in Sweetie Belle's favorite gem-finding place, only recently discovered by her. Soon, they had picked their way down into the canyon, even though Spike could fly down if he wanted. He'd grown a lot in the six years since Twilight became a princess, and that included growing wings. Sweetie Belle's magic had grown more powerful too, and Rarity allowed her to help around their house as long as she didn't do anything very clumsily.

Sweetie Belle's horn lit up, and soon several glowing, translucent patches of dirt were dotting the terrain. Spike happily dug them up, eating one out of every five gems. He decided he'd save the others for later. After digging up all of the gems from their immediate area, they walked over to another patch of land that had yet to be doused by Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle cast her dousing spell, and noticed something. A cave opened up a couple of feet away, hidden by the dark shadows hanging over it. A rather large glow appeared inside.

Curious, she trotted inside, hoping Spike wouldn't finish his digging early and see that she was gone. _I don't want to have another Diamond-dog incident like the one Rarity told me about. _Sweetie Belle grinned, thinking of the time years ago when Rarity had defeated a group of particularly greedy (but wimpy!) Diamond Dogs. By whining. She still laughed whenever Rarity told her the story of it.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and found herself staring at a massive, beautiful, and oddly heart-shaped ruby. She gasped. "Spike!" She called. She turned around, seeing him place an armful of gems in the wagon they'd brought with them to hold the gems. He set them down and she called again "Spike!" He turned her way, noticing the hidden cave. He approached it, and she leaped out at him "Whoa!" He cried, surprised. She grinned at him viciously. Spike put on a terrified expression "Don't eat me, terrible pony!" He exclaimed, before they busted out laughing, rolling on the ground next to each other. Sweetie Belle found herself staring at Spike for an unusually long time before turning away, a tingling in her hooves. "I want to show you something I just found." She told him, grinning.

"You'll love it,"She and Spike stood up and walked into the cave. She lit up her horn to provide light, and Spike instantly gasped, drooling a little. "A ripe fire-ruby! A huge one at that!" He exclaimed ecstatically. He dug it out of the ground, and held it, staring. "You can keep this one," Spike told her, smiling at her. Sweetie Belle grinned and said "Nope. I promised you that you'd get EVERY gem we find. I plan to stick to that promise," Spike chuckled. "I'm not eating this, anyways. It's too big and..." He stared at it. Sweetie Belle laughed and walked out, surprised at the sudden warmth she felt. Spike followed her out. Unknown to she or Spike, the gift she'd just given had ignited an enchantment on the ruby.

She noticed the shadows were beginning to grow, and she turned to Spike. "It's getting late, let's bring our haul... How about to your place, Rarity would freak if she discovered the gems I gave you," She suggested. Spike nodded, and they began the cold walk to the tree Spike lived in with Twilight. "Is it me, or did the temperature just rise a couple of degrees?" Spike asked. "I think it did," Sweetie Belle answered. That was before she noticed her breath was still fogging. "On second thought, I don't think so. But it definitely feels warmer," She said, confused. They continued the walk back to the library in silence, neither noticing how close they were walking to each other. They got a couple of strange looks entering town, confusing them.

They got to the library. Unfortunately, when they were about to walk in, they heard Rarity's voice approaching. They froze. "Let's go around to the back, maybe you can get them into your room through the window without anypony noticing," She whispered. They maneuvered around to the back of the tree just in time to go unnoticed by Rarity, who trotted out the door. Spike showed Sweetie Belle where the window to his room was, and he flew up to it, trying to open it. "It's locked," Spike sighed. Sweetie Belle remembered how to pick locks with her magic, and she called up to him, making sure nopony noticed "If I can get up there, I can pick the lock," She told him. Spike raised an eyebrow, but he picked her up and held her while she picked the lock. With a satisfying click, the window unlocked and they were rewarded with a frozen-shut window.

Spike solved that problem easily, after setting Sweetie Belle down, he flew back up, gently blowing fire from a distance to melt the ice sealing the window shut. "Let's get this stuff in, I think the pegasi might be about to start to make it snow," He muttered. Sweetie Belle's horn glowed, and all of the gems, minus the fire-ruby, floated up into Spike's room. Spike flew down and picked the fire-ruby up, then he flew into the window and set it down, his face reappearing out the window to say "Goodnight!", then he went back in and the window closed. Sweetie Belle smiled and walked home to the boutique she lived in with Rarity. When she got there, she was greeted with "Hello darling, how was your day?"Rarity was smiling at her. "It was awesome! I'm really tired, though. I did a lot of magic today." Sweetie Belle replied, beginning to walk towards the stairs that led up to the sleeping quarters of the house-boutique mix. "Okay, you can take a nap now and I'll wake you up later for dinner. After I get this order finished, of course," Rarity smiled. Sweetie Belle dragged herself upstairs and collapsed onto her bed, exhaustion catching up with her. Her eyes closed the second she hit the mattress.

"Sweetie Belle, time for dinner!" Rarity called up. The smell of pasta reached Sweetie Belle's nose. _One more minute, Rarity. _She thought. Of course, her stomach had other plans. _Hungry. _It told her. _I'm tired. _Her brain complained. _Shut up, both of you! _Her heart demanded._But- _Her organs attempted. _No. _Her heart said. She managed to drag herself down the stairs and into a chair. Soon a plate of tortellini pasta was pushed in front of her. Suddenly her brain got the message from her stomach, and she gobbled the pasta ravenously, nearly forgetting to use her manners. She felt much more awake all of a sudden. _See?_ Her heart said smugly. She groaned inwardly. She stood up and fixed herself another helping of Rarity's amazing cooking, this time adding a bit of spicy seasoning on it to spruce it up. "Really, you put that stuff on everything," Rarity commented. "I don't see what's so good about it,"

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and finished her second helping, then she washed her plate and went back upstairs. She turned on her lamp, then sat on her bed absent-mindlessly floating her journal and a couple of pencils out of a drawer towards her. She opened the journal to a clean page and began to sketch a picture of herself with her friends, first drawing the outline, then coloring in the insides. Spike went next to her, with Applebloom and Scootaloo behind. _Hm, that's weird. Since when has Spike been closer to me than Applebloom or Scootaloo? _She wondered. She set down her drawing materials and walked over to the window, staring out at the now-snowy world. A dark figure was moving towards the park. _Who would be out this late at night? _She thought. A burst of flame told her it was Spike. _What would Spike be doing out here? _She thought. Her hooves began tingling, but she ignored it.

Sweetie Belle walked downstairs, careful to not make a sound. Rarity could be heard still moving around, working on some sort of new design. She tip-hooved to the cloak-closet. She took a rather heavy cloak off a hook and walked soundlessly out the door. She trotted towards the park, finding Spike sitting on a bench with a rather light cloak looking lost in thought. "Why are you out so late?" Sweetie Belle asked, causing Spike to jump and snort a ball of flame. Sweetie Belle giggle and sat next to him. "Just... Thinking," He said. Sweetie Belle let him think, and they sat silently for a while. If Sweetie Belle could read his mind, she would be shocked to realize that Spike was thinking about her. "You must be cold," She said, wrapping the cloak around him and scooting closer to him. They both blushed. Sweetie Belle leaned her head on his shoulder, and silence reigned.

At Twilight's house, the fire-ruby twinkled.

**Hey guys, this is a new story I'm starting. Hope you enjoy it, and I also hope to start seeing more Spikebelle pictures out on the web! Spread the word, or do it yourself. I don't care, just get it done.**


	2. Headaches and love

Sweetie Belle's eyes fluttered open. She was freezing cold, covered in snow, and had a terrible headache. _What in the sweet name of Celestia?! _She jerked all the way awake. _Why am I outside? With a cloak covering me? _She thought. A body moved next to her. She realized the reason she had a terrible headache was because her head had been resting on scales. "What the- Sweet Celestia!" Spike exclaimed next to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle blushed, as it dawned on her that she'd fallen asleep next to Spike. The tingling feeling in her hooves started up again. Spike sat up beside her, blushing as well. "How did we even fall asleep in this weather?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea!" Sweetie Belle said. She realized that, for all of Spike's raging reptilian-ness, his body was wonderfully warm. She had to resist the urge to cuddle up next to the purple-and-green dragon. Then she realized the reason she had a headache was because her head had been resting on scales all night. The cloak fell off, allowing the wind to blow into her fur. She shivered. Spike stood up, blowing a small amount of fire to warm the air up. "I think I need to go to Zecora's place. My head is pounding," She muttered. "Sure. Want me to fly you there?" He asked. "Sure, why not?" She said. Spike picked her up and flew over the nearby Everfree forest.

"How do you know where Zecora lives from overhead?" Sweetie Belle asked. "A lot of practice. I've been there a lot in the past few years," Spike replied. He set down right in front of Zecora's house. They walked in, and found Zecora wasn't there. They walked around the main room looking at potions until Zecora walked in. "Hello Sweetie Belle, there's something bothering you; I can tell," She addressed Sweetie Belle. "Oh, and hello, Spike, my friend! Is there anything you seek to mend?" She asked Spike. Spike shook his head and Sweetie Belle told Zecora "I just have a headache," Zecora smiled and brought her a potion from the far end of the room. "This will clear your head, but may keep you from going to bed," She told Sweetie Belle graciously. Grinning hugely, Sweetie Belle drank the potion. Then an odd thing happened. A couple of pink heart-shaped bubbles floated around her, floating up to the roof and popping.

Zecora's eyes widened. "I have not seen that in a long, long time. Is there somepony you seek to say 'You're mine'?" Sweetie Belle blushed deeply. "N-no. Not that I know of," Sweetie Belle lowered her voice. "But suddenly I have a suspicion I do love someone." Zecora smiled at the change of wording. "Is he in this room? The time to tell me, if so, has already begun to loom," Sweetie Belle had to resist the urge to bolt and hide, "Maybe," She whispered, cowering. "Spike, I have need of brewing objects. Please get some, don't object," She barked. Spike ran out and began looking for brewing material, which he knew by heart since he'd helped Zecora a lot. Zecora turned her attention back to Sweetie Belle. "So, is this **someone** a dragon? If I am right, you may want to take action," She smiled. Sweetie Belle could barely stand. 'Y-yes. Please don't tell anypony!" She begged. Zecora continued smiling. "You have my word, I wouldn't tell anypony, that would be absurd," She assured.

Soon Spike returned, and they left. "So, Spike. You doing anything today?" She asked. Spike replied "Nope. Unless Twilight has something for me to do," He smiled. "Why, want to hang out later?" He inquired. "Yes! I mean, sure," She said, smiling. They parted temporarily, Spike to ask if Twilight had anything for him to do, and Sweetie Belle for Rarity's to touch bases with her. At Rarity's boutique, she put on a thin translucent white dress, to keep the freezing wind out. Her fur kept her nice and warm. Rarity teased her "Are you dressing up for somepony?" Sweetie Belle playfully pushed her away and shook her head no, technically she was telling the truth. She wasn't dressed up for some**pony**. She waited outside for Spike, and soon he came around the corner, wearing a black shirt with a hood. He called it a hoodie for simplicity's sake. Sweetie Belle thought _Dang, he looks good. _Sweetie Belle proceeded to blush at the thought, wondering when she'd started thinking like that. After that, she remembered the talk with Zecora. Spike walked up to her. "You look nice," He complimented.

"I would say the same for you, but you like twice as good as that compliment would allow," Spike looked shocked, blushing. "Thanks," He said. Neither of them noticed Rarity spying on them. They walked off, talking. "Are you hungry?" Spike asked. "Kind of. I haven't eaten since- I guess I am hungry. Why?" Sweetie Belle said thoughtfully. "'Cause I am. Let's go get something to eat," He said. They walked to a cafe in Ponyville. After being led to a table with two seats, they sat down and ordered. Sweetie Belle decided on tortellini pasta and hot chocolate, with a side of edamame, and Spike ordered the same. Sweetie Belle looked around, and saw Applebloom and Scootaloo approaching. "Hey girls, what's up?" She asked. Scootaloo smirked. "What's up with you and Spike?" Sweetie Belle blushed "We're just friends, like the way I'm friends with you." She said. Applebloom grinned. "Ah don't believe that," Sweetie Belle was blushing furiously, and Spike was too. Spike jumped in "We're just friends, like Sweetie Belle said," He confirmed. "Then why are you two dressed up?" They said simultaneously. Both Spike and Sweetie Belle were taken aback. It was like they'd planned this. "Because I'm a reptile, and reptiles have cold blood. It's rather cold out here, if you didn't notice," He said. _He's actually pretty warm. _"And I'm just wearing a windbreaker," Sweetie Belle said. "Sssuuurrree," Scootaloo said slowly, not believing a word of it. Applebloom didn't believe it either.

Thankfully, the food arrived and provided a distraction and an escape plan. "Why don't you join us?" Sweetie Belle asked ."No thanks. I think you two are perfectly fine. _Alone,_" Scootaloo grinned devilishly. Sweetie Belle played cool. "Fine, your loss. The pasta here is excellent," She told her two friends. They walked away. "Thank Celestia they're gone. I was about to ask you to pinch me; they were being _way _too persistent," She told Spike. Suddenly Spike's eyes bulged and he turned away, belching out a scroll, and nearly setting a table on fire. Spike opened it, and cracked up. "What's so funny?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "This," Spike replied. He handed her the scroll. _No need to thank me. P.S. Look behind you. _Sweetie Belle read. She turned around. Celestia herself was standing at the other end of the street waving. Sweetie Belle burst out laughing. Celestia grinned and walked away. "That was awesome!" Sweetie Belle said, still laughing.

Sweetie Belle levitated her fork and started eating the pasta. "I really wasn't lying when I said their pasta is awesome," She told Spike. He picked up his fork and began eating. "You're right," He said. They finished their meal and paid, then they walked to Twilight's house and borrowed some books. Sweetie Belle had started reading Daring Do books after Rainbow Dash showed her the book that included her. Somehow the author still managed to roll out the books, so Sweetie Belle started the most recent one. Spike was reading something by J. K. Mewling. "I didn't know you read books written by cats, Spike," She said. Spike chuckled. "They're not the only species I read books from. I read dog books, dragon books, even bird books," He grinned. Sweetie Belle was impressed. They continued reading in silence, until the sun went down. Sweetie Belle bid farewell to Spike and trotted home. When she got home, Rarity greeted her with "Maybe it wasn't somepony you were trying to dress up for. But I have a hunch that you DID dress up for **someone**," Sweetie Belle shrugged and walked up the stairs, fatigue taking over. "Wake me up when it's all over," Sweetie Belle called down. She dragged herself into her bed and fell asleep, Opalescence purring beside her.

**Hey guys! My birthday was two days ago, so I've been pretty busy lately. I also have to take into account school and gaming, so I don't have much time to write. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter!**

**P.S. This chapter was mainly inspired by "Wake me up" By Avicii.**


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